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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. last — to go on
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. lean — thin
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. present — a gift
  10. bat — the animal
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. craft — boats
  13. swing — to play on
  14. last — final
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — there
  17. last — finally
  18. craft — a skill
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. swing — music
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lean — to bend
  24. swing — in golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com